Caps, a young French shoot, came to Vivatech with an astonishing concept of a flying capsule. Designed to accommodate a single passenger, it could be used for short-distance intra-urban trips.
The French startup Caps imagined a new concept of urban travel, a system of air Transport single-seater and autonomous. If all goes well, these flying taxis could be deployed from 2025 in certain large French cities.
The idea is to set up mobile landing stations in cities, fairly light structures, easy to move as needed, in strategic places such as train stations, airports, business centers, etc. The technology developed by Caps will guarantee flights within a radius of 15 km at a speed maximum of about 70 km / h, at altitudes between 150 and 300m.
These fully electric capsules, equipped with 8 motors, can only accommodate one person at a time, without the slightest pilot. However, it is expected that a professional can take control of a capsule remotely in the event of a technical problem. Note that each device will also be equipped with a parachute in case of emergency! The first tests have already been carried out, with success, in a field.
Safer to cross Paris by Caps than on foot
All the capsules in a city will be brought together in a single power station where they will be constantly recharged. There is in fact no question that they remain in their stations when they are not in use. For his part, the user will be able to book a flight via a application mobile. From then on, a Caps will be placed in the nearest station, from where it can take off and reach the station closest to its final destination, all in less than a quarter of an hour.
If for the moment the project is only at the prototype stage, Paul Cassé, CEO of Caps, now wants to speed things up: ” we toured the mobility managers in major French cities, to understand their needs, and we had 100% good feedback “. As for safety, he assures us: ” aeronautics has always been the safest transport sector in the world, so it will be safer to cross Paris by Caps than on foot ».
A first commercial exploitation is expected by 2025 or 2026. In the meantime, the general public can discover a model of the project at Viva Technology, this Saturday June 19.
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